Ice Model Tests of Caisson Platform in Shallow Water

摘要

The purpose of the model tests performed in the Ice Tank of the Krylov Institute, St. Petersburg, Russia, was to study the effect of the closeness of the sea bottom on the ice pile-up in front of a caisson-type platform and on the ice loads acting onto the platform. Grounding of the ice rubble can lead to both a reduction and increase of the ice load. Both these phenomena were noted during the model tests in different stages of platform/ice interaction. The load increase was observed in the initial stage of the underwater pile-up formation, when its draft approached the water depth. In the later stage, when the stationary grounded pile-up against the platform was formed, ice load reduction was observed. The paper provides quantitative and qualitative analysis of the model test data.